We had a little myth-busting discussion the other day here at MetalMiner®, including, among other examples, that tracking raw material inputs is no predictor of finished product prices.
Take, for example, Iron ore.
Prices fell this spring and have been bouncing around either side of $65/ton. However, in China, the world’s biggest consumer, finished steel prices and production have been ripping along.
According to Reuters, China produced 80.2 million tons of crude steel last month, setting a new daily average production record for a third month in a row at 2.67 million tons.
Despite strong domestic steel prices, China’s steel exports last month rose to 6.94 million tons, their highest level since July 2017. Older, more polluting mills continue to be shuttered as part of Beijing’s program to curb pollution via increased inspections.
Reuters sees this as evidence that newer mills have ramped up operations to cash in on fat margins. China’s steel output in the first half of the year rose 6% to 451.2 million tons.
Richard Lu, analyst at CRU in Beijing, is quoted as saying that mills were earning a profit margin of about 800 yuan ($119.50) per metric ton of steel, while analysts at Huatai Futures put profit margins for mills in northern China at over 1,000 yuan per ton — one of the highest on record, the news source says.
Mill utilization still has further to go though; despite record output, mills are not running flat out. Monthly utilization rates reached 71.6% in June — the highest since October — but suggestive output levels could continue into the winter heating season, even as mills around major cities are made to close to reduce pollution.
However, that would presuppose demand remains robust; signs are beginning to emerge that demand is softening.
RBC Capital Markets mining analyst Paul Hissey is quoted as saying the bank expects steel demand to fall in H2 due to a slowdown in infrastructure and property demand and continued volatility around tariffs.
Ultimately, a softening in steel demand will lead to a fall in steel prices; it is the anticipation of such that is a factor in falling iron ore prices.
As we noted, the correlation in raw material and finished product prices is stronger in falling markets than rising, despite the raw material price falls leading the finished product.
by Stuart Burns